Habitat:
Native to Central Asia. Licorice grows in sandy soil usually near a stream for ample water. Glycyrrhiza glabra, which is very similar medicinally, comes from the Mediterranea region.

Varieties:
There is a native American licorice, Glycyrrhiza lepidota, but it does not have as intense a flavor as the Chinese species and may not be equivalent medicinally.

Type:
Perennial shrub.

Size:
3' x 5', shorter and more spreading than G. glabra.

Spacing for Production:
2', roots will grown down to 4'.

Site and Zone:
Full-sun, well-drained soil, rots if it sits in water. G. uralensis is supposedly not as cold tolerant as G. glabra and will not tolerate a freeze, Z9, Z10, Z11, but I plan to try it in Z8. I chose this one to plant at our farm because we have acid-soil. The true Licorice (G. glabra) is said to prefer alkaline soils.

Soil:
Produces a large underground root system that fixes nitrogen. Likes rich-soil, sandy-soil, well-drained soil, hates to sit in water but likes to have consistent moisture, especially early in the season. Does very well near a stream. Heat-loving. Hates-clay.

Seed Sources:
Seedlings2012Dec--Horizon Herbs seeds dated for 2013, said to need to be scarified. Sandpapering itty bitty seeds doesn't seem like any fun. Instead, I poured boiling water over them and let them soak for 4 hours. Since they require light for germination, I planted them in 4" pots on the surface and tamped down, then placed the pots on top of the heating coils in the greenhouse beds.